
This problem has become so widespread and severe that the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) published a list of known international trademark registration scams. The USPTO keeps a similar scammer database, identifying the following organizations that sent non-USPTO solicitations, prompting consumer complaints to the USPTO:
- TM-DB Register of Protected Trademarks
- Trademark and Patent Office
- Trademark Compliance Center (See an example of a scam solicitation sent by TCC)
- Trademark Registration and Monitoring Office
- United States Trademark Registration Office
- Patent & Trademark Agency
- United States Trademark Maintenance Service
- U.S. Trademark Compliance Service
- WDTP
- WIPT
- TM Collection
- TM Edition
- Patent Trademark Register
- Register of International Patents and Trademarks
- Trademark Renewal Service
- Trademark Safeguard – Trademark Monitoring Service
- Intellectual Property Agency Ltd.
- IOPR – Intellectual Property Register
- GBO, Inc.
- Intellectual Property Services USA Incorporated
- USTM Information Services
- Brand Registration Office
In October 2014, a New York firm successfully won a lawsuit against “Patent & Trademark Agency LLC” for unfair competition and deceptive marketing practices, putting the company out of business. A Final Consent Judgment was entered against Patent & Trademark Agency LLC, by which it agreed to permanently discontinue marketing and selling trademark registration or renewal services in the United States.
If you receive any unexpected email or correspondence regarding a trademark registration, you should immediately contact the USPTO or your counsel to verify the veracity of the sender and the correspondence. Conkle, Kremer & Engel assists individuals and companies in all aspects of intellectual property protection, including the filing and maintenance of trademark registrations – and we know how to discriminate legitimate vendors from scammers.
FEB